Here's the latest news from the front line in our battle against fraud attempts on our costume sellers:

We recently changed the format of the costume ads so that the seller's email address is hidden from public view. Potential buyers must now click on a link to fill out a form, which is then converted to an email and sent to the seller. In the process, the email is recorded into our database, and the email address and IP address of the buyer is logged.

Because the email is sent through our website and not directly from buyer to seller, we can also add our own text to each email, which includes warnings about the latest scams.

When we determine that a person has attempted to commit fraud, we add his or her email address and IP address to our "blacklist". Any further attempts by this person to contact our costume sellers will be automatically blocked. In addition, all sellers who were previously contacted by this person will be sent an additional warning email, which will include the the name and email address of the known scammer.

If you have a costume ad on BallroomDancers.com, we want you to know that we are working hard to reduce fraud attempts. But as always, please be aware that internet fraud is a reality, and your best weapon in the fight against scammers is common sense. Be cautious, and whatever you do, NEVER conduct a transaction with a complete stranger without using an escrow service such as http://www.escrow.com.

Regards,
Jonathan Atkinson
www.ballroomdancers.com